Learning the Jesus Way of LifeSample

Pictures of Heaven

Pray: Jesus, give me the faith to go where you go, do what you do, trust what you say, and love how you love. Today, I commit to following you. Amen.

Jesus was a master storyteller. The parables He told two thousand years ago are regularly repeated even today. Because beneath the surface of these seemingly simple stories we find truths that cut straight to the heart of what following Jesus is all about.

In today’s reading, we’re answering four big questions to help us learn how to receive the wisdom wrapped up in Jesus’ parables so that we can respond with obedience.

Question 1: What are parables?

As we hinted at earlier, parables are stories Jesus told to teach us who God is, what His kingdom is like, and how we’re meant to live as His people.

Klyne Snodgrass, who wrote a book all about Jesus’ parables, calls them “stories with intent.” Because every parable Jesus told had a point. They weren’t empty words designed to entertain. They contained spiritual truth intended to change the way we see ourselves, others, and God.

Question 2: How should we read parables?

If we want to read parables wisely, we have to remember the big idea that Jesus is King and context is everything.

The whole Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus and invites us to become like Jesus. He is the main character, and He will accomplish His plans to rescue us from sin, repair our relationship with God, and invite us to play a part in restoring the world.

Every parable is designed to shine a light on what Jesus has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. This is why we call these stories pictures of heaven. Because through His parables, Jesus is painting a picture of what it looks like for heaven to come crashing into the earth.

Context is all of the information that gives meaning to what we are reading. When it comes to parables, the important context to consider is:

• Who is Jesus talking to? What message would Jesus want to get this specific audience to understand?
• How does this parable line up with other things Jesus is saying and doing?
• How does this parable connect with what is found in the Jewish Scriptures?
• What details are included in this parable? How do they shape the meaning of what is being said?

Lastly, when it comes to reading parables, it’s important to keep in mind that the Bible is meant to be read literately, and not just literally. The primary purpose of a parable is not to teach us about ancient farming techniques (Parable of the Sower) or how to bake large amounts of bread (Parable of the Yeast). The primary purpose of parables is to teach us who God is, what His kingdom is like, and how we’re meant to live as His people. By using images and examples that are familiar, we can better understand truths and wisdom that may be unfamiliar.

Question 3: Why did Jesus teach in parables?

This is a really great question. And it’s one that Jesus’ own disciples asked.

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Matthew 13:10 NIV

Jesus answers what seems like an easy question with what feels like a confusing response.

“This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’” Matthew 13:13–15 NIV

At first glance, it sounds like Jesus is saying He speaks in parables so that people won’t be able to understand what He’s communicating, because if they understood, they would turn to God and be healed. Is that really what Jesus is trying to say?

That would be like needing to dial “813971329057019” instead of “911” to call an ambulance! This sounds like the opposite of everything we know about Jesus.

The tension between what it sounds like Jesus is saying here and everything else we know about Jesus, is a clue that there’s more going on. In responding to what seems like an easy question with a difficult answer—while still not giving us the whole answer—He does shed light on an important aspect of parables:

Parables aren’t meant to give us easy answers. They’re designed to help us wrestle with hard truths.

What did the disciples do when Jesus started speaking in parables? They started asking questions. And when we looked at Jesus’ answer to their question, what did we do? We had even more questions. This is a very intentional strategy that Jesus employed, because sometimes people won’t be open to hearing the answer until they’re the ones asking the question.

Parables conceal in order to reveal.

One of our favorite examples of a parable is found in 2 Samuel, where the prophet Nathan confronts King David’s evil acts of adultery and murder. Through this parable about a rich man who stole the prized lamb from a poor man, David comes face-to-face with his own abuses of power and wicked deeds. How does David respond? With confession and repentance. He agrees with God about his sin. And He commits to making a change by realigning his life with God’s standard.

This is what parables do. They invite us to wrestle with hard truths by guiding us to the brutal facts that we may not want to hear, but need to. That’s the message behind the words of Isaiah that Jesus quoted above.

Now, for our last question.

Question 4: What do Jesus’ parables mean for us today?

Today, as much as ever, the parables of Jesus are an invitation to discover the truth of who God is, what His kingdom is like, and how we’re meant to live as His people. They are a challenge to not just hear what Jesus says, but to actually put the wisdom of His words into practice. Because Jesus didn’t come to tell cutesy stories or offer pointless platitudes—He came to rescue us from sin, repair our relationship with God, and show us how to play a part in His plan to restore the world.

Will you receive His words with humility, and will you respond with obedience?

Application: As you read through this chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, think about the spiritual truths Jesus is trying to communicate with each parable. Jot down your observations and questions. And then, pick one parable to do a deeper dive into. Resist the urge to immediately look up what it means. Sit with your questions. Ask God to open your eyes and ears to what He wants to show you. Then, find someone to share your insights with.